Eric Gray provides more options in Giants backfield with or without Saquon Barkley
Brian Daboll couldn’ t really answer on Saturday whether he intends to lighten Saquon Barkley’ s workload this season with a two-back rotation. Rookie Eric Gray’ s selection in the fifth round of April’ s NFL Draft out of Oklahoma does add an interesting element to Daboll’ s and Joe Schoen’ s roster construction for this fall, though. The running back depth chart now...
Brian Daboll couldn’t really answer on Saturday whether he intends to lighten Saquon Barkley’s workload this season with a two-back rotation. He doesn’t know if Barkley will be on the field come training camp as his contract standoff with the team drags on.
“Well, depends on what we have out here come August,” Daboll said before the second practice of rookie minicamp. “Getting around, seeing what we’ve got in terms of players’ loads and how much – it’s a completely different team. We’ll see how it goes once we get out here and compete with pads in training camp and preseason games.”
Rookie Eric Gray’s selection in the fifth round of April’s NFL Draft out of Oklahoma does add an interesting element to Daboll’s and Joe Schoen’s roster construction for this fall, though.
The running back depth chart now includes vets Barkley, Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell, Gray and second-year pro Jashaun Corbin. On top of that, second-year wideout Wan’Dale Robinson is a former running back whose skill set makes him a dual threat in the backfield and out wide.
Breida (punt protector), Brightwell (kick returner), Corbin (returner), Gray (punt returner) and Robinson (punt returner) all have special teams value and potential, too.
It should create a healthy competition for roster spots and playing time. And it should not be ignored that players like Robinson and Gray — both of whom were drafted by Schoen — come with the versatile skill set that Daboll appears to prefer.
“[At] running back, there’s certain guys that have different skill sets: pass backs, running backs in terms of just handling the ball,” Daboll said. “Like to utilize guys that can do both in both phases.”
Barkley is still a player the Giants need to compete at their highest level this season, so the pressure is on Schoen to get something done. Gray even made a case on Saturday for a running back’s value to be higher in the modern NFL.
“I think it’s a very valuable position,” he said. “You look at today’s game, you look at just the different running backs in the league and you think about how important they are to the offense. They’ve got to learn protections; they’ve got to learn the passing game. They have to know what everyone is doing, so in my opinion it’s a very valuable position that can make a lot of money.”
Oddly, despite his apparent fit with the Giants, Gray’s selection elicited an unusually unenthusiastic reaction from Daboll on draft weekend that was captured by national television cameras. The seemingly sour coach even appeared to receive an assurance from assistant GM Brandon Brown.
Word was Daboll’s reaction wasn’t related to the player or the pick. He was joking to the room of scouts and personnel executives about how they all stand and clap for every pick, so they should have to do the same for every first down in the fall, too.
At the same time, Daboll focused one of his first comments about the Gray pick on disagreements between scouts and coaches.
“Look, what I tell Joe and the scouts is find good players,” he said, when asked if it was important to him that they drafted a running back that could catch. “You don’t always necessarily agree, whether it’s scout-to-scout, coach-to-scout, coach-to-coach. But you sit down, and you talk about these players. I’m excited about all these players. I think there were a lot of good discussions, and I think you just find good players. And then your — I’ll say this until I’m done coaching — is to get good players and find a way to use them.”
Regardless, Gray profiled during this weekend’s rookie minicamp as a quick player with a strong lower body who could be an early weapon in this scheme. With or without Barkley, his addition makes this season’s roster construction and personnel usage more intriguing.
LIGHT WORK
Daboll said Saturday that high draft picks like corner Deonte Banks and Hyatt weren’t getting 7-on-7 reps Friday because “they’ve been on the road quite a bit, had a lot of visits. One of the main things is just [to] come out of here healthy.” But the Giants’ rookie class and team were among the most injured in the NFL last season using the same dialed-back approach. Daboll assured players like Banks and Hyatt “have plenty of time to get a lot of reps here over the next, call it, few weeks.” We’ll see how many they actually get during OTAs leading up to June’s mandatory minicamp.
GIANTS SIGN ONE, WAIVE TWO
The Giants re-signed situational pass rusher Oshane Ximines to a one-year contract this week and waived two veterans: guard Solomon Kindley and safety Terrell Burgess, who was waived injured. Ximines, 26, fell out of favor with the previous coaching staff due to repeated and costly mental errors.
But he regained some confidence last season under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who gave Ximines another chance to pin his ears back and pursue the quarterback. Ximines’ biggest play last season was his sack fumble on Aaron Rodgers to seal the Giants’ early-season win over the Green Bay Packers at London’s Tottenham Stadium.
Four of the Giants’ rookies have signed their contracts so far: fifth-round RB Eric Gray, sixth-round CB Tre Hawkins III, seventh-round DT Jordon Riley and seventh-round S Gervarrius Owens. That leaves their top three picks unsigned: CB Deonte Banks, C John Michael Schmitz and Hyatt.
TWO SCOUTS OUT, OTHERS PROMOTED
GM Joe Schoen continued turning over his scouting department after his second draft. Pro scout Steven Price is not returning after two seasons, and area scout D.J. Boisture has parted ways with the club after nine years, according to Inside the League. The Giants announced scouting department changes and promotions while making no mention of Price or Boisture. Marcus Cooper will be a national scout. Blaise Bell will be an area scout. Marquis Pendleton will be a pro scout. And Justin Markus will become the team’s scout in the BLESTO scouting combine … The Giants’ schedule indicates Daboll is not allowing reporters into his first OTA practice. The team’s next scheduled media availability is at OTA practice No. 3 on May 25.
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